((Sorry about my dropping off the face of the planet - I had a series of events that made it so I didn't have much computer time but they should be at an end now. Should be. I would very much so like to step back in to the role-play if that's okay, may I have a re-cap? I could probably just have Tressa be tucked away in the kitchen this whole time or something...))

OoC// I'd love to have you back, !

Recap:

Drakes started attacking, started out small, started to get bigger the more drakes died. Rous brought some of his tricks to surface, dropping drakes like flies. Big alpha females started to attack, Avery used her powers over water to drown a few by basically leaking water down their noses. After awhile the alpha king drake came to fight, scaring away the other drakes. Blackfire, who was previously swept overboard, reappears as a shadow demon thing, and Matthew also taps Into the black magic within him. Together they basically tear the drake apart. Now they are on the home stretch to their first stop!

((Awesome, Tressa would totally have taken flight to somewhere safe for that, easily excusing her cowardice as "yeah but I'd also be in the way and useless and having one less liability is the way I'm helping." I'll just skim/read the last few posts then and-

...oh, my, is Matthew's father EVEN REALLY MATTHEW'S FATHER!? Or I guess the sinful demon just looks like him XD))

Tressa had kept herself pressed against a wall as the ship began rocking, eyes clenched tight, trying to keep her breathing normal. Her breath intake was sharp with ever lurch, whimpering as she heard shouts of alarm or roars of drakes or especially violent shakes.

She should be out there, helping. But how? She didn't know how to fight drakes! Rous had said that it'd be a problem if she couldn't handle violence, but this wasn't fighting another man. If she went out there, surely she'd just get underfoot or eaten or knocked off the ship. This time, she'd stay out of the way. She'd ask someone to teach her fighting, she'd be useful next time, but this time, this time she'd stay out of the way.

As the ship reached a stasis, Tressa slowly relaxed, letting out her hitched breath, eyes opening. She peeled herself from the wall and ducked out of the way that in a few moments, the injured would pass. She escaped back to the kitchens, busying herself with work to chase away the anxiety of a battle - worry that they would lose, that she had not been helpful and would therefore be expelled from the ship, that anyone had been horridly hurt. Maybe she should go to Avery's office to see if she needed help? Avery was a capable doctor and could probably handle anything on her own - but she also probably wouldn't say no to help if much needed to be done and Tressa was not faint at the sight of blood. She swallowed and left her little sanctuary to see if she could prove useful, entering Avery's office.

As he was picked up, Matthews eyes shuddered, though they still did not open. As he was being carried he was still dreaming of the dark ones. Matthew could start to make out more features of them but he still could not tell what exactly they looked like.

"Though you may be a prince, remember you still do not have infinite power, Beelze." The red-flamed one said, all four of his arms crossed.

"But neither do you, prince of wrath. My power grows while yours simply bubbles." The pale man said.

The conversation lasted, growing more and more heated until the indigo-flamed one shuddered, the entire area seeming to shake. After a long pause, the sleeping prince had gone back to its rhythmical breathing. All of the others sighed with relief, then the purple-flamed woman spoke up.

"Though I love spending time with you boys, I'd hate to be here once Betharz awakens, if he manages it." All of them nodded in compliance. Each of them held out their hands, and a flame of their corresponding colors floated above them. They each aimed it at the sleeping prince, and he soon disappeared. They then held them out their hands once again, and each of them disappeared from sight, one by one.

All was left was just Matthew and the one known as Beelze, the pale green-flamed man. He then looked at Matthew, and made a "shoo"ing motion with his hand. Matthew jumped back, as he thought he was invisible, but he soon was engulfed in darkness.

A slight shake of his head and Fer’s hearing came flooding back just as louder noises came and went. Then the eerily quite of a won battle before all the cheering from scattered crews. What an impressive feat that was. On all ends. Running over he went to help with the two fallen crew mates to get them below. He quietly stuck around to see if any assistance would be needed.

Less was more in the current situation. Jack let the others go help as she stayed out of the way. Once most of the deck was clear of people, she stuck around looking out over to the mountains and such around them before looking at herself to see if she was still bleeding. Dried red covered her body and caked her clothes. Not seeing anything fresh, she slowly started her way back down to find a way to clean herself up.

[I]"I got Miss blackfire, doctor."[/I] Rous called to her as she neared the stairs to get up on deck. As he turned from the rail, he winced. He picked up his pantleg a bit, revealing a hunk of metal embedded in his leg, hidden by the folds of his pants. It was about 3 inches wide, no telling how deep it was in his thigh. No doubt from the nearby ship exploding. Must have been a part of a cannon, or the rigging. He chuckled and shook his head. Wasn't uncommon for the heat of battle to drown out pain amongst warriors. He let his pantleg drop, and limped to Blackfire, picking her up much like Avery did Matthew.

He took her downstairs to the infirmiry, laying her next to Matthew. He reached around the corner of the door for some shackles, clamping them onto her wrist, and another set around a support column, then linked the two. He felt for a pulse on both the demons, and scratched his head. The healing pyromantic spell would wake them up, for it usually warmed the soul, bringing comfort to those near it. Now, it wasn't an instant heal, but it sped up the healing process dramatically. Wound that would take a month to heal would heal in 2 weeks, perfect for sitting in the infirmary.

Rous held his hand out, and a little fireball hummed to life. It would hum every couple of seconds, and glow brighter as it did. He sat and waited for them to wake.

Avery eyed Tressa as she entered the office, "Get me a bucket of fresh water, hot if you can manage it." she said as a way of greeting. She set to work replacing the bandages and stitching up what she could on Blackfire, checking vitals as she went. Returning back to Matthew there wasn't much she could do but replace the almost dry cloth with a cool, damp, cloth. As an after thought she put on her boots, hoping nobody would notice.

"Captain, please explain to me what you did to my patients?" she asked, looking at him in the face. Avery placed her hands on her hips, and stood up as tall as she could. She wasn't fond of people doing things she didn't understand while she worked. If he wasn't the captain the doctor would have been tempted to yell at him to get out. "You're bleeding." she stated. "Sit." she ordered, pushing her captain onto the last table. She didn't apologize as she exposed the injured leg, cutting the pantleg up past the metal fragment. Bending to examine it she scowled, "You have two options Captain. Either I can remove it with an anesthetic or you can be aware of the pain the whole time." She didn't mention she was a little foggy of where she had put the pain killers. She supposed rum or something would work but wasn't keen on giving the captain more alcohol after the meeting in his cabin that first night.

Tressa wheeled around on her heel as she was "greeted" by Avery. She returned to the kitchens, retrieved a pot of water easily, and set it to warm, pondering if adding salt to make it warm faster would be a problem. Avery had said fresh, so probably. Instead she sat patiently, waiting with the water for a few minutes, agitating it in hopes of returning more quickly to Avery.

Wait - the captain was a pyromancer, she didn't have to wait here to heat it up. Rolling her eyes at her own stupidity, she retrieved the pot and hurried with it back down to Avery's office.

Blackfire's eyes fluttered open after a few minutes of laying there. "I feel like hell," she groaned, not even trying to move. "I don't recommend falling down mountains... it's not fun... very painful..." She gently tugged at the irons around her wrist. "Could've been worse, I suppose..." Next, she glanced around, struggling to figure out where she was exactly. Obviously the medic's cabin, but it would take her brain a few days to regenerate anything she'd lost during her fall. Her eyes closed briefly. "I'm okay, you know... no rampages or anything... Can I have the irons...?" Her voice trailed off and her eyes opened, and though she was breathing she wasn't at all responsive, just staring up at the ceiling.

Luckily it didn't last very long, just a few seconds. She blinked a few times, then repeated her question a lot quieter, "Can I have the irons off?" Whatever had just happened had obviously had an effect on her. It was almost like she'd been scolded and was now sulking.

Nikki grinned down at Blackfire. "That was /amazing/!" she enthused, tail dancing behind her in excitement. "You were all /rah/ and then you ripped the dragon apart!" She chattered animatedly, clearly thrilled by how things had turned out. "Those dragons were pretty cool too, but you trouncing them was even better! I wish I could do things like that."

"Thanks." Avery said as Tressa returned with the water. She soaked some rags and began to clean what she could of the captain's leg. "Can you help Blackfire get cleaned up?". As Blackfire stirred she paused her care of the captain. "It is a precaution in case anything happens. The captain here requested it." She informed Blackfire, jerking her head towards her other patient. "I would say yes, but whatever just happened to you makes me nervous. I can pad them, but I don't want you to hurt yourself or any of us." She added, trying to put 'no.' as nicely as she could.

As Nikki chattered the medic turned to stare at her, "Will you cut it with the chatter? When things have calmed down you can chatter all you'd like, or at least calm down. I don't know what all is going on but noise rarely makes things better." she snapped. Her lips twitched at that last part, noise had been partially to blame for all of these problems in the first place.

Tressa nodded and approached Blackfire without hesitation, having no idea that she was much else than human. She snagged a few rags herself and gingerly began to wash away the blood, unable to help but feel relief that she'd not been in battle, considering the wounds Blackfire had sustained. Had she really rolled down a mountain? She certainly looked as though she had. What were the irons precautions for? Tressa shrugged away the question. She would have known if she'd been out for battle.

"Sorry for any stinging, I'm being as gentle as I can," she murmured after Avery had declared the irons would not be removed, wiping blood from Blackfire's cheek.

[I]"It's a healing spell, it numbs pain and speeds up the healing process, it also brings comfort to those near it. Better get used to seeing it around, for if I didn't put that fireball there, someone else would have. It's common, and kind of an unspoken rule to put one in here if anyone is hurt or sick. As for that piece, just dig it out. I'll be fine."[/I] He said, leaning up on his elbows to watch.

He motioned to a passing crewmember as Blackfire awoke. [I]"Take those shackles off, she's fine now."[/I] The crewmember did as he was told, and stood by, as if he had something to say. "Sir, I have the numbers whenever you are ready." Rous nodded, watching Avery work. The man cleared his throat. "As of now, we lost 48 Men. Those who survived didn't have too serious of injury, some cuts and burns, some might need to be looked at, but are too proud to come in on their own. Three guns have cracked, and one melted down. We also seem to have taken a stray cannonball to our midship, accounting for 4 of the deaths and one broken gun. We have fired a tenth of our Armory's cannonballs."

Rous nodded, and waved him away. He sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Luckily, he was great friends with the town blacksmith they were heading to, and he could get a great deal on cannons and ammunition. They needed to recruit again in the next town, while he was away.

Matthew's eyes lazily opened, and all he could see was the ceiling. He attempted to rub the sleep from his eyes, only to find he was in iron shackles. "Not again..." He said, before remembering he wasn't on Fyreside anymore, he was on a ship. He deep green eyes scanned the room, finding it being the infirmary of the ship as there were medicines and such lining the shelves. His finally gaze fell upon the Captain and Avery and everyone else in the infirmary. He made a small tired wave of his hand, at least as much as he could in shackles. "Hey, mates." He yawned before saying, "Can I, ah... get out of these irons, or should I just, y'know, do it myself?"

Rous nodded as Matthew awoke. [I]"Take them off, if you can. Now, I have a problem here...."[/I] Rous started, the healing fireorb fizzled for a moment, the went back to calmly humming.

Rous drummed his fingers on the table, as if searching for what to say. He cleared his throat. [I]"Neither of you two told me you could change into some dark magic juggernaut demon things. So that means either you /didn't/ know you could, or didn't think it was important to tell me. Which one is it?"[/I] Rous stared at the hunk of metal in his leg for the first half of his statement, then look to the two demons, practically hissing the question

Nikki set about freeing Blackfire, using her lockpicks to get the job done. She listened to the conversation with interest. She was dying to know why her friends could turn into such awesome creatures. Maybe there would be a way for her to get some amazing powers of her own!

"I didn't tell you because it shouldn't have happened." Blackfire slowly sat up, groaning at the pain. "It's been very many years since I went full like that... dad's pissed off, too..." She looked at her hands. They were... "Normal," she whispered, then she cleared her throat and looked at the captain. "I didn't think it could happen anymore. I would have warned you if I'd known... And since I know now, I should let you know that even in that form I won't rage or whatever it is lower demons do. I may have a sicker sense of humor and grin like everything's gonna die by my hand, but it's nothing to be concerned about. Well for you, anyway. Hell, there's a greater chance I'll die in that form trying to defend the ship from whatever than me pitching a hiss fit."

She gave a heavy sigh and carefully prodded around her torso. She winced a few times, and after the inspection placed a hand on her chest. It glowed a faint purple and then she jerked with a cry a pain. "Haaa... haha... b-bones set..." she wheezed. "Organs fine... S-someone please get me a trashcan..."

"Good job Tressa." Avery told the chef, "Gentle is good." She was glad that she had a decent manner while caring for Blackfire. "I suppose I will get used to it then, Captain. I'm not used to fire mages sticking their noses into medicines and what not. If my patients have ever created one before it'd would have been after I left." Avery nodded, of course the captain would go for the painful route. "Removing...now" she commented as she pulled it out. There was some bleeding, so she quickly applied bandages and gauze to the wound. "Unless you can heal yourself I'd suggest taking it easy and coming to see me tomorrow to change the bandage. Also I can check for infections. The bandages should be sterile so nothing to worry about yet." she told the captain. The medic decided to ignore the order to remove the irons, he'd been the one to order it after all. The crew members seemed able to remove them by themselves anyways.

"Bucket." Avery said, scooping the handle of a tin bucket up and setting it next to Blackfire. "I have some medicine here somewhere that can help with nausea." she added, turning to scan through the medicines that she'd inventoried the day before.

Matthew wriggled his right wrist around and two small pieces of metal rose from his sleeve. A lockpick and tension wrench. The lockpick was bent so that he could use it at an angle, and he skillfully managed to hold the tension wrench between his thumb and index finger, while he worked at the tumblers with the lockpick between his middle and ring finger. He then unlocked his left shackle, after the first one fell to the table. "Years of practice." He said under his breath, while he listened to Rous. He frowned at the mention of 'changing'. He listened first to Blackfire, and then he spoke up, "What do you mean 'change'? All I remember is blacking out once Blackfire hopped back on boar-... wait." His hand slowly reached to his horns and felt them. They were definitely larger than the last time he checked. He frowned once more "I don't know what happened..." Then, he heard a voice in his head, "But I do..."

Rous didn't flinch when Avery pulled the shrapnel out of his thigh, but clenched his fist slightly. He nodded, acknowledging her orders to come back in the morning. But taking it easy wouldn't happen. He had places to be.

Rous looked to Matthew, noting the confusion at the changing part. [I]"You peppered the drake with some dark magic fire, and the wounds festered and rotted instantly, making his scales fall off. Then he burst into flames! You don't recall any of that?"[/I] He asked, his temper simmering down.